A food blog of original, kitchen tested recipes with easy to follow instructions.

Eat!

Eating is a necessity. However, we choose what to eat. The choices we make reveal a great deal about us. The food you eat can tell quite a bit about your heritage, your family, your fears, your sense of adventure, your attitude toward yourself and others, and a myriad of other personal tidbits to anyone paying attention. Everything about eating is a glimpse into your soul.

I hope to reveal a little bit about myself to you through my food. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating. I find pleasure in bringing pleasure to others. I hope that by sharing my recipes I bring you a little bit of joy.

Cook my food. Feed it to the people you love.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The first time
I made these they were not our favorites-the chorizo was overwhelming. But I
played with the ratios and SUCCESS. These were so tasty. And because you make
the patties in a sheet pan, you can easily cook for a crowd. We don’t have a
crowd, so I placed pieces of parchment between the cooked sausage patties and
froze them. Now we can easily have breakfast for dinner this weekend.

Line one of the baking sheets with foil. Pre-heat the oven to 375˚. Set
aside.

Open the sausages and discard the casing. Use your hands to mix the sausage,
pork, crumbs, egg, salt and 1 teaspoon taco seasoning. You may need to break up
the chorizo so that it is evenly distributed throughout.

Roll the pork mixture out on the foil until it is two inches wider and two
inches longer than the package of rolls. Sprinkle the top of the pork mixture
with the onion flakes and the rest of the taco seasoning. Place it in the oven
and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Smear the rolls with butter and place them in the oven for the last four
minutes so they are toasted.

Slice the pork into six slices so the patties will fit onto the rolls. Top
with slices of cheese, you can pop them in the oven for a few minutes to melt
it if you want. Top with scrambled eggs, slices of tomatoes and your favorite
condiment.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

This is so easy to
make and one of Jeff’s favorites. It is an easy way to make boring chicken
flavorful. This dish is basically a twist on Braised Chicken. The use of cumin,
cilantro and tomatillos gives it an authentic Mexican sabor (flavor.)

Tomatillos (toe-MAY-tee-yose)
are one of our most ancient food plants, having been domesticated by the
Aztecs. You are probably most familiar with them in Salsa Verde. They look like little tomatoes, but they aren’t.
They are slightly tart and herbal in flavor. I have never attempted to make my
own tomatillo sauce so I use Frontera Tomatillo. Frontera’s ingredients are all
natural: tomatillos, water, onions, chiles, cilantro, garlic, salt, and cane
juice.

Serve Cumin Crusted Chicken with a side of tomatoes and refried beans and rice.

Servings: 4

Time:Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 60-65 minutes

Hardware:measuring cups, a cutting board and knives, a
large heavy bottom skillet that can be used on the stove and in the oven (I
prefer a cast iron skillet), tongs, 2 plates, a thermometer

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds chicken thighs

2 tablespoons ground cumin
(maybe more)

1 tablespoon dried
cilantro

salt

1 tsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

1 large onion (1 cup-6 oz)

1 bell pepper (1 cup-4 oz)
(I used a yellow for color)

16 ounces tomatillo sauce

Cumin Crusted Chicken Braised in a Tomatillo Sauce

Pre-heat the oven to 375˚.

Slice the onion into rings.
Crush the garlic, Remove the white ribs and seeds from the pepper and cut
it into long thin strips. Set aside.

Sprinkle both sides of the
chicken with cumin, cilantro and salt. Be generous. Set aside on one of
the plates.

Heat the olive oil in the
skillet on medium high. Add the onion, pepper and garlic cook for 6-7 minutes
or until the onions are soft. Remove them to the other plate.

Add the chicken skin side
down. Cook for 6 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Turn the chicken
with tongs and cook for 5 more minutes.

Nestle the onions and
peppers around the chicken.

Pour in enough sauce for
the liquid to come half way up the thighs.Don’t cover up the crispy part of the skin as it will get soggy.

Place in the oven for 45
minutes or until the thermometer reads 160 degrees when inserted into the
meatiest thigh.

Allow the chicken to rest
for 5 minutes before serving. Taste the sauce and adjust
the salt. To plate make a bed of sauce, onions and peppers and top with a
chicken thigh.

Friday, September 9, 2016

Mongolian Beef has
nothing to do with Mongolia. It was invented in Chinese-American restaurants. The
ingredients differ with geographic region, but the common factors are crispy, caramelized
beef and green onions served in a thick, slightly sweet sauce. It is not
usually spicy, but I had to throw in a few pepper flakes to cut the sweet
taste. I added broccoli to complete the dish.Serve it over steamed rice or glass noodles.

Servings: 6-8

Time:Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 20 Minutes

Hardware:Measuring spoons, a cutting board and knives,
grater, a gallon Ziploc bag, 2 deep skillets, tongs, a plate, a whisk (I use a
flat whisk), a large bowl, a strainer or a colander

Ingredients:

1pound top round cut for
stir fry

½ cup LOW SODIUM soy sauce

½ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup COLD water

1 tablespoon + ¼ cup cornstarch
(maybe more)

1 teaspoon fresh grated
ginger

½ teaspoon pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic

2 green onions

8 ounces steam-in-the-bag broccoli

S&P to taste

Oil to fill one of the
skillets half way

Green Onions

Put the steam-in-the-bag
broccoli in the large bowl with hot water and set aside. Grate the ginger
and crush the garlic. Slice the onions into 1 inch pieces, using both the
white and the green. Set aside.

Salt and pepper the steak.
Place the steak and the ¼ cup cornstarch in the plastic bag. Shake to make
sure all the steak is coated.You
may need to add more cornstarch.

Fill one of the skillets
half way with oil and heat on high. When the oil is very hot, shake off as
much cornstarch as possible. Drop the steak into the hot oil. Do not crowd
the meat. You may need to cook it in batches. The oil should be hot enough
that the meat crisps up immediately. You should cook each slice for no
more than two minutes. Extra thick pieces may take another minute, but no
more. Remove the meat to the plate as you finish. Beware, this method
splatters. Set the finished meat aside.

Drain the broccoli. Dissolve
the tablespoon of cornstarch in the cold water. Set aside.

In the second pan, add
just enough oil to coat the bottom. Heat it over medium-high. Add the
garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes. Stir for one or two minutes, until they
become fragrant. Add the soy sauce and brown sugar and whisk until the
sauce comes to a boil. Slowly stir in the cornstarch-y water. Continue to
stir until the sauce thickens. Add in the beef, green onions and drained broccoli. Stir
until everything is coated and warmed through.

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About Me

I am a teacher living in Florida. I love teaching and I also love to cook. This blog combines those two loves. My recipes are very detailed because I am not making any assumptions about my readers' cooking experience. I want my blog to encourage even new cooks to be brave in the kitchen.